AMONG THE CARIBS. 79 
with other people; naked they wandered at will in the 
forest; without houses, they slept on the ground on 
beds of leaves. Sending my collections of birds to 
the coast and ordering thence a fresh supply of provis- 
ions and ammunition, I left the Caribbean side of the 
island and marched over the mountains toward the 
Atlantic, with three stout girls and a man laden with 
my effects. The journey was to occupy two days, as 
the rivers were swollen. They had “come down,” 
in the language of the country; but when a river is 
“down” in the West Indies it is wf — having rushed 
down from the mountains, swollen by some heavy 
rain, and flooded the lowlands. 
The Carib reservation in Dominica extends from 
Mahoe River to Crayfish River, a distance of about 
three miles along the Atlantic coast, and away back 
into the mountains as far as they please to cultivate. 
Though each family has a little garden adjacent 
to the dwelling, any individual can select an un- 
occupied piece of ground on the feighboring hills, 
or mountain sides, for cultivation. All their provision 
grounds (as are called the mountain gardens where 
the staple fruits and vegetables* are grown) are ata 
distance from the house, some even two miles away, 
solitary openings made in the depths of the high 
woods. As the soil in general is very thin, and does 
not support a crop for many successive years, these 
gardens are being constantly made afresh. 
As I rode along, every house seemed deserted; no 
face appeared, and I met no one save the ancient 
* These are, the Yam (Déoscorea sativa and D. alata); the 
Sweet Potato (Batatas edulis); the Cassava (Fatropha manihot 
and ¥. janifha); Banana (usa paradistaca); Plantain (A7usa 
sapientum), and Tannier (Caladium sagittefoltum). 
